Mannix: Nets’ asking price for Durant ‘overwhelming’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Kevin Durant nearly broke the Internet last month by requesting a trade from the Brooklyn Nets. But over the last couple of weeks, it’s been all quiet on the trade rumor mill for the 12-time All-Star.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, that’s because the Nets’ asking price far exceeds what teams are willing to pay. A report earlier this month stated Brooklyn is looking for a handful of first-round draft picks in addition to an All-Star caliber player. The Phoenix Suns had been the frontrunner to swing such a deal, but their odds of doing so significantly decreased when Phoenix matched DeAndre Ayton’s offer sheet from the Indiana Pacers.
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“There’s been, in the last week or so, no traction on any deals for Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving,” Mannix said Thursday on NBC Sports Boston’s Early Edition. “That offer sheet that DeAndre Ayton signed that the Suns matched, that effectively took Phoenix out of play for the foreseeable future because they cannot use DeAndre Ayton as a trade chip that they would’ve liked.
“The teams that have talked to the Nets about Kevin Durant, they have found the asking price to understandably be overwhelming. And right now, as we sit here in late July, there just isn’t a team ready to match that kind of offer. So, the way I see it the next few weeks, I think the dust is going to settle for a few weeks to a month. And then we get to later August, I think we’re going to see teams start to revisit things with the Nets and see where they stand, and see if the asking price remains as high.”
If and when the Durant discussions heat back up, don’t expect the Boston Celtics to be involved. The C’s reportedly haven’t communicated with the Nets about a potential Durant trade, which almost certainly would require Boston including Jaylen Brown as their centerpiece.
As for Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn’s discussions with the Los Angeles Lakers about a possible deal reportedly have stalled. It wouldn’t be a surprise at this point if Durant and Irving decide to run it back for at least one more year with the Nets.
Hear everything Mannix had to say about the Durant/Irving saga in the video above.
